A News Blog

Keeping you in the know in the world of politics

TUSCALOOSA | Before Congress went on what turned out to be a tumultuous August recess, I wrote a column in which I said the Republicans were a little ahead in the struggle to block Democratic efforts for a massive overhaul of the country’s health care system. The prediction, which still stands, is that the fight is all going to come down to the a joint House-Senate conference committee bill which will be a melding of the bound-to-be different measures that… Read More »

TUSCALOOSA | After three policemen were killed in Pittsburgh earlier this year by an anti-government nut after answering what appeared to be a routine domestic disturbance call and many rightwing fanatics, including those in government like Michele Bachman began to demonize census workers — Bachman said she was going to refuse to participate in the census, even though that is against the law — I told friends and colleagues that I would not be surprised if some census workers weren’t… Read More »

BEE BRANCH | One thing that seems to have gone largely unnoticed in the coverage of the protests against President Barack Obama and his administration, which crested last weekend with the “9/12 March on Washington, ” are the supporters of conspiracy theorist and perennial presidential candidate Lyndon Larouche. The 86-year-old Larouche, an economist-turned-political activist, has had an interesting life, to say the least. He began his political career as a committed Trotskyite, moved progressively rightward and finally ended up as,… Read More »

BEE BRANCH | I’ve wrestled with my thoughts and feelings about this whole is-the-opposition-to-President-Obama-racially-motivated? thing and finally come to the conclusion that, for me, at least, it is time to move on. After former President Jimmy Carter, who grew up in the Jim Crow south and knows a thing or two about racism, called out the 8/12 marchers on Washington for some obviously bigoted sentiments, the food gates on the repressed subject were opened. Yesterday Obama spokesman (and Alabama native)… Read More »

UPDATED, 9/17: Well, I finally saw a black face in a few seconds of an interview at the march on, of all place, the ultra-liberal “Ed Show” on MSNBC tonight. Still, I think, an exception that proves the rule. BEE BRANCH | I have searched the Internet looking at hundreds of photos from last Saturday’s “9/12 March on Washington” by members of the tea bag movement and I can’t find a single face that isn’t white. No African-Americans, no Asians,… Read More »

TUSCALOOSA | At first I found it a bit incredible, but on second thought I can also see how a Time Magazine post entitled “On Finance Reform, Obama’s Unlikely Partner”about our own senior Republican Sen. Richard Shelby working with the president on the finacial reforms just might be plausible. “If you were to pick the least likely Senator to help Barack Obama win a major legislative victory, Alabama’s Richard Shelby, the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, would be… Read More »

NOTE: If you have a favorites link to this site you may want to reset it; since we changed hosts a few weeks ago the old link takes you to an old post, as does the first Google reference to this site. FORT MORGAN | As of 7:46 this morning the nation has been safer under President Barack Obama than it was under the previous administration of President George W. Bush at the same moment in time during Bush’s presidency.… Read More »

NOTE: If you have a favorites link to this site you may want to reset it; since we changed hosts a few weeks ago the old link takes you to an old post, as does the first Google reference to this site. FORT MORGAN | When U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, yelled out “You lie!” during President Barack Obama’s health care address last night, Obama paused and stared meanacingly in his direction for a few second before responding that, no,… Read More »

DESTIN, Fla. | Now that’s more like it. In his address to a joint session of Congress tonight, President Barack Obama brought not only clarity to the debate over health care reform, outlining the problems with the current system and what lies down the road if we don’t change it, but passion back to the cause. I was particularly struck by this passage, as I am sure former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was if she bothered to tune in (if… Read More »

TUSCALOOSA | “Birthers,” “deathers,” “tenthers.” “tea baggers” — it looks like the oppositions to President Barack Obama has prompted enough nuts to come out of the woodwork to make Planters envious. In today’s At Large column in The Tuscaloosa News, I tried to make as much sense as I could out of this motley crew of gun-toting, document-demanding, Constitution-misquoting, tea bag-tossing groups. In the end and despite their varied and often ill-defined grievances, they are united by one common idea:… Read More »